Organic thin films have been heavily investigated in recent years due to their application in optoelectronic devices such as organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), photovoltaic devices and organic photodetectors.
Optoelectronic devices based on organic materials, including organic thin films, are becoming increasingly desirable in a wide variety of applications for a number of reasons. For example, materials used to construct organic optoelectronic devices are relatively inexpensive in comparison to their inorganic counterparts, thereby providing cost advantages over optoelectronic devices produced with inorganic materials. Moreover, organic materials provide desirable physical properties such as flexibility, permitting their use in applications unsuitable for rigid inorganic materials.
Current devices based on light emitting organic materials, however, have several disadvantages that limit their application in certain fields. Some light emitting polymers, for example, have breakdown voltages at relatively low fields, limiting the charge injection and lifetime of some devices. In addition, some organic materials and device structures require complex and/or expensive fabrication methods to obtain sufficiently thin films of emitting material for lighting applications.